Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and US President Joe Biden met on the sidelines of the G20 meeting in Bali, Indonesia on Tuesday. The agenda included NATO’s Nordic enlargement, the need to continue the Black Sea Grain corridor and the recent bombing in Istanbul. 

Biden offered his deep condolences to Erdogan and the Turkish people on the acts of violence in Istanbul and expressed support for Turkey, a NATO ally, said the White House and Turkish Communications Directorate in separate, slightly nuanced statements.  

The short and unannounced meeting was a rare contact between the two leaders, who have had few bilateral meetings and phone conversations since Biden took office. It comes in the wake of a major terrorist attack in the heart of Istanbul Sunday that killed six Turkish citizens and wounded eight. Turkish security forces arrested a Syrian woman they said admitted to planting the bomb, following orders from the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) and its Syrian offshoot. Both the PKK and Syrian Kurds denied having anything to do with the bombing. Pro-government news outlets, which published more details of the security operation Tuesday, claimed that the woman, Ahlam al-Bashir, was accompanied by a man, Ammar Jarkas, who maintained contacts in the Syrian city of Kobani. Jarkas was also reportedly arrested and questioned. 

On Monday, Turkish Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu called the United States complicit in the Istanbul attack, accusing Washington of funding terrorist groups in Syria that target Turkey’s peace and security. Soylu was referring to the US partnership with the Syrian Democratic Forces, which were essential to the US-led effort to destroy the Islamic State. The military structure of the SDF is led by the People's Protection Units (YPG), which Turkey says is affiliated with the PKK. Ankara claims they share the same leadership cadres, organizational and military structure, financial resources and training camps.